Today’s post compares the original “Smiling Bomb” (微笑みの爆弾 Hohoemi no Bakudan) to the officially localized version.

The first translation is my own that I translated a few posts ago. It is a literal translation from the Japanese lyrics. The localized lyrics follow. I add some notes at the bottom.

Enjoy!

Japanese Translation:

Brushing against the shoulders of the people in the city, I’m alone
The wind sweeping across the endless grass fields, I’m alone
I wonder which of the two is the place I’d want to cry?
Drawing two circles, I feel a little grown up!

Suddenly, a surge of courage and power
Destroys the incredibly oppressive wall
I wonder if it was a result of the stern people
Suddenly displaying kindness

Thank you very much!

I wonder how many times I’ve yelled out “nice to meet you!”
I wonder how many times I’ve tearfully departed saying “farewell”
I wonder which I did more, if I compared them
As I write an equal sign, I feel a little grown up!

Suddenly, a surge of courage and power
Helps me get over those incredibly sad times
I wonder if it was a result of the extremely kind people
Suddenly displaying sternness

Thank you very much!

Suddenly, a surge of courage and power
Destroys the incredibly oppressive wall
I wonder if it was a result of the stern people
Suddenly displaying kindness

Thank you very much!

I’ll never forget the incredibly fun times
I’ll keep the courage and power forever
I’ll give the very lonely people
something hidden behind my lips:

A smile that’s a bomb!

English Version:

Running in a crowd
In a faceless town
I need to feel the touch of a friend.
In the countryside
I wander far and wide
The isolation gets me again…

I don’t know where to go
When I feel like crying
Oh my!
It’s time to open myself
Do something new
I want to stop
and grow up a bit!

Then suddenly, my power and confidence starts swelling up
Magically erupts
And it’s all because of kindness that I feel
From people I don’t even know

Then suddenly, my intuition and my wisdom grow
And then I know
But most of all I sense compassion that’s real
Thanks to strangers where ever I go…
Thank you for waking me up!

Up till now
How may times I’ve tried
To tell you, ‘please take care of yourself…’
But with tear-stained eyes, I sadly said goodbye
As I waved and wished you farewell…

Then I think of how
How much longer, I must wait
I look inside myself, and feel something new
I wanna stop, and grow up a bit!

It’s all because, I’m feeling sad
and then I cry; I don’t know why…
The courage that I need,
The power to succeed,
Fills me with strength to fly…!

It’s all because of when I see my friends
Oh my,
Every time,
They’re always behind me
Pushing me on
Lighting the fire in me (fire in me)

Then suddenly, my power and confidence start swelling up,
Magically erupts
and it’s all because of kindness that I feel
from people I don’t even know.

I won’t forget,
The times we shared and the pleasant days
Always
and I’ll never lose the strength to succeed
and the courage, to do what I must
Your smile makes my heart explode!

—

-A major note to keep in mind going forward is that the localization did an excellent job considering they not only had to get the feeling across –but they had to do it in the amount of syllables that fit with the Japanese lyrics of the song. It is certainly an amazing feat!

-The songs have similar meaning, but put in a more poetic and fitting way in the official English. As said above, this is due to having to match the Japanese syllables, and so some liberties are taken on the words that are used to ensure that it flows musically yet retains the same, or similar, meaning. As a result the songs have vaguely the same meaning, yet are slightly different.

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Japanese Version:

English Version: